The Dover Boys, v20
by TacsGurlJess
Summary: Some cursing and violence. The Dover Boys are in the year 2003, and things have changed at good ol' Pimento U. The fic mostly focuses on Tom Dover and the events that change the course of his life. R&R please!
1. Default Chapter

**The Dover Boys, v2.0**

Note: I don't own the Dover Boys and their affiliated characters. They're property of the Warner Bros. Studios and of Chuck Jones (God rest his soul). Mina is a character I added in here; she is of my own creation and isn't to be used without asking me first. I decided to write a Dover Boys-related fic because they're not as well-known as Bugs, Daffy, and the others. They deserve to be recognized since they're Looney Tunes characters, too, but people just don't know it.

The dagger haunted him. It appeared in his dreams at night, except as a larger replica of its more inconspicuous form. Although it was small, he knew it was a dangerous weapon if it fell into the wrong hands, since there seemed to be some magical quality about it. Yet he could not resist it much longer. It was almost as if there was some sort of gravitational pull that it had on him. Sooner or later, Tom Dover would claim the Centurion's Longsword.

"56! 83! 15! Hut, hut, hike!" The ball was snapped to the quarterback, and grunts were heard as football players slammed into holds, playing man-to-man.

"Hey, Dover, my mother can tackle harder than you," a player on the other side taunted. He stared straight into the deep blue eyes of a tall, blonde young man with muscles practically the size of the IronMan tires on his sports car in the parking lot some ways down the campus. "Come on! You can do better than that." The player making the snide remarks had almost a manic look in his eyes.

"Don't push your luck, Gurvin," the blonde replied in between grunts, his ocean-colored eyes flickering angrily. "You just might get what you ask for." His teeth, hidden by the mouth guard he wore, were bared in a snarl as he struggled against Gurvin when suddenly a whistle blew.

"Alright, guys!" the coach shouted. "That's enough for today. Hit the showers." Players straggled off the field one by one, and a few gathered up equipment to put it away in the storage shed. The blue-eyed player removed his helmet and shook out his thick, wavy hair, which was now mussed up from being pressed underneath his headgear. His name was Tom Dover, one of the wealthiest students at Pimento University; a handsome guy of 21 with a smooth square jaw, broad shoulders, a tight body, and a charming personality, many girls swooned over him and considered him a god. However, there was only one girl that Tom was interested in. He turned to watch the marching band, which was having a dress rehearsal for the first home game of the year.

The members of the color guard—dressed in black shirts and sequined gold bolero jackets with glittery red back capes, loose black pants, and black boots—expertly tossed and twirled flags, rifles, and sabers. As they showed off their techniques, the band was playing the music selection to accompany their performance, which would be at half-time the night of the game. He looked at their crisp new uniforms, just recently bought and on the cutting edge of style; the regular members had white jackets trimmed with black, red, and gold streaks, all of which were the school's colors. Gold Spartan-style helmets, topped by black plumes flecked with red, were strapped on their heads. And falling back from the jacket shoulders were full, draping black capes with red "liquid" satin lining and shimmery gold fabric streaks on the polyester outside. Tom then turned his gaze up to the director's platform, and perched atop it was the girl he had eyes for. He could pick her out easily not just because of her position, but also her uniform, since whatever was white on everyone else was black on her, and the cape she wore was fuller. She was Mina Prier, drum major of the Pimento University Marching Centurions, a fun-loving, adventurous girl who had been in her school's ROTC program for two years. Since going co-ed in 1960, Pimento University had a student body that was fifty-two percent female, which was slightly over half the population on the campus. Tom waited until the band took five to go over and say hello to his girlfriend.

"Hey, Mina," he said, approaching her as she stepped down from the platform.

"Oh hey, Tom!" the girl with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes said brightly as she turned to face the football player in front of her. "What brings you over here?"

"Football's done for today and I thought I'd watch you guys practice," Tom replied matter-of-factly. "How's the routine coming along?"

"Excellent," Mina said as Tom put his arms around her. "I couldn't have asked for better from this band." She smiled up at him.

"I love your uniform," he said, admiring her outfit. "The white looks good on the other people here, but black suits you better. You think you could get me one like yours? I'll pay for it myself."

"Well, you're not a band member and I don't know how well the director's gonna take that," Mina answered, the smile disappearing from her face for a few seconds. "But since I'm the drum major I think I could finagle it for you." Her grin returned wider than before.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said, his smile reappearing as well.

"Listen, I have to get back to work with the band," Mina said, backing out of their embrace. "I hate to run you out of here like this, but we still have a lot of rehearsing to do. I'll see you later, though, okay?"

"Yeah, later," Tom replied, then he and Mina quickly smooched before he headed off to the locker room, while Mina climbed back onto the platform and called the band back to order. Later that night, the two met up again at a university-sponsored party. They were having a good time dancing in the main lounge of the student center, grooving to the beat of popular hits pounding from huge speakers at the DJ's table. However, when they tried to talk, they had to yell in each other's ear, as did most of the people there, in order for one to hear the other.

"Isn't this a great party?!" Tom said as loudly as he could while he and Mina were dancing.

"What?!" she shouted back. Her boyfriend leaned down so he could project his voice into her ear.

"I said, isn't this a great party?!" he repeated.

"Yeah!" Mina replied.

"What?!" This time it was Tom's turn to ask for a repeat.

"I said, yeah!" his girlfriend yelled in his ear. Just then, the intro to "Sandstorm," a big hit in the clubs around the area, blasted from the speakers.

"Hey, Mina! It's time to do our pairs rave routine!" Tom shouted.

"Alright!" Mina said in return. This time they were just barely able to hear each other as they got into the center of the floor and each pulled a pair of glow sticks from their pockets, Tom locking red ones between his fingers while Mina did the same with two purple sticks. As the music went into full swing and everyone gathered around them to watch, the two in the middle started to rave. They started off with simple techniques, like the ball, and moved to more difficult ones. The glow sticks they used also had lengths of string attached, and as their routine progressed with the music they began to twirl them with ease. Soon, all that could be made out of the colored phosphorescent sticks were rings and twisting lines of colored light, and the people watching them ooh-ed and ahh-ed in amazement. When "Sandstorm" came to an end, the others who had gathered around to watch their raving burst into applause and cheers. While everyone was whooping it up for Tom and Mina, Dan "Jawbreaker" Backslide (slightly more muscled up than the original character) slipped through the crowd with his gang: Chainsaw, Sledgehammer, Flamethrower, and Crowbar. (Side note: Unlike the original character, the updated Dan is a biker who wears leather, torn jeans, and combat boots; he is also meaner and tougher than his original personality. Tom Dover, also upgraded in appearance, likes wearing tight T-shirts or tank tops—to show off his musculature, of course— under his varsity jacket, wide-leg jeans or cargo pants, expensive Victory sneakers, and his favorite wraparound shades.) The crowd saw Dan and his goonies in the center, facing Tom and Mina, and suddenly there was not a sound.

"Hey, Dover, who's that babe you got with you?" Dan asked, smirking at Tom, his dark eyes flashing evilly.

"This 'babe' here happens to be _my_ girlfriend, Backslide," the broad-shouldered blonde replied unflinchingly. He folded his bulging, muscular arms over his large chest, pushing it out as he looked down his nose at his nemesis. "Now if you're smart, you'll make like a tree and leaf her alone because she's not interested in you. That is, of course, unless you'd like for me to make your exit more painful than you doing it yourself." Tom narrowed his eyes and unfolded his arms, then proceeded to crack the knuckles of his fisted hands.

"I think I make my point?"

"You looking for a fight, Dover?" Dan said maliciously, not moving from where he stood. "You want to fight? We'll go at it, then." He motioned with his hand, as if to say, "Bring it on, pretty boy." But Tom remained where he was, hands on his hips.

"I won't fight if I don't have to," the taller of the two guys replied. "But you're welcome to take a shot at me." He had purposely left his torso wide open for a hit, knowing that Backslide would practically break his hand trying to punch the rock-solid abdomen Tom had developed from working out at the gym.

"Come on. I'm giving you a free chance to hit me." Dover paused. "Or are you chicken?" Now he had a defiant smirk on his strong-jawed face as he waited for Backslide to make a move.

"Chicken?! No way!" the punk sneered, trying to act as if he was not afraid at all. "Here I go!" He pulled his fist back and swung a hard right at Tom's midsection, connecting with a brick wall of tight muscles.

"Yeeeeeeeeoooooooooowwwwwww!!!!!!!!!" The bully held his hand, shaking it in pain, then looked up incredulously at Tom. "Man, how'd you get such strong abs?!"

"Four hours every day at the gym will do it," the blonde boasted. "You still want to take me on?" Dan and his gang simply slunk off without a word, shooting dirty looks at Tom, but he allowed their glares to bounce off of him harmlessly. Once they were gone, a professor chaperoning the dance stepped into the circle.

"Okay, everyone, show's over," the professor said, dispersing the crowd. The DJ put on another song and everyone got back to dancing. Tom and Mina, however, did not; instead, they went outside the student center into the cool nighttime air.

"Whoa. What was that all about?" asked Mina once they were away from the music thumping inside the main lounge. "I mean, why did it look like he wanted me?"

"I've been keeping an eye on him, and it's becoming apparent that he's got a thing for you," her boyfriend said in reply, putting an arm around her. "But as long as I'm here, he doesn't stand a chance of taking you away from me. Come on, I'll walk you back to our residence hall." So, the two made their way to Culverton Hall, Tom intent on dropping his girlfriend off at her room, then he would head up three floors to his own dorm. As they strolled along, each with one arm around the other, a shadowy figure watched from behind some distance away. He motioned to the bushes, and out came four other figures, also obscured by the darkness. Tom was careful to stick to lighted areas, just in case someone should be stalking them; in the light, at least, he would be able to see the attacker. Soon, he and Mina could see their residence hall, so they knew it was not much farther. They did not realize that five other people were shadowing them, and trouble was creeping up from behind.


	2. The Dover Boys, v20Chapter 2

The Dover Boys, v2.0 Chapter 2  
  
Mina began to feel as if she and Tom were being followed, and she kept glancing back over her shoulder. She started to shiver, partially from the slight chill in the air, but also from the suspicion that someone or something was watching them.  
  
"Mina? You okay?" Tom asked, hugging his girl a little tighter. "You look scared."  
  
"Oh! Um, no. No, I'm fine," she said, trying to hide the fact that she was becoming a bit uneasy. "Let's just keep walking." Mina quickened her pace, and her boyfriend followed suit. In a few minutes, they were at the door of the residence hall lobby and, after signing in at the desk, Tom escorted Mina to her room.  
  
"Thanks for a great time tonight, Tom. I had so much fun," she said, trying to smile. Tom grinned back at her.  
  
"I'm glad you did, sweetie. Good night, and pleasant dreams."  
  
"Thanks. You, too." Their lips met in one kiss, then Tom released Mina and, as she unlocked the door and disappeared inside her dorm, walked down the hall to the stairwell. He jogged up three floors and turned the corner; his dorm room was located off to the immediate right of the stairwell, and he took his key out of one of the many pockets on his cargo pants. He turned it in the lock and entered his room, then quietly shut the door and locked it again. Then, Tom saw it, again...that dagger on his desk...  
  
Flash! It was the spring semester of freshman year, and Tom was putting away the team equipment for varsity baseball. It had been another championship season, their twelfth win in thirteen years, and he was delirious from the high of the Scarlet Centurions winning as well as receiving his first college varsity baseball trophy. He happened to be loading the rolled up bat bag, which contained the aluminum bats the players practiced with, onto the high shelf in the closet when he accidentally knocked something off. The object plummeted straight down, and Tom had barely enough time to move his foot out of its path. It stuck in the wooden floor with a sproing!, mere inches from his cleats. The brawny blonde gazed down at it quizzically, then bent down and pulled it out of the plank with a gentle tug. Tom stood up straight and examined what appeared to be a knife of some sort, but not like any he had seen before: it had a gold hand guard, shaped like an eagle with its wings spread, and a fancy hand grip as well. The blade was so shiny it reflected like a mirror.  
  
Where did this come from? he had wondered to himself. At that moment, a teammate happened to walk by, and Tom asked the guy if he knew what the knife was and how it got in the closet. His teammate had only shrugged and said he didn't know. Tom shook his head and originally thought he should toss the knife away—he never carried a weapon and did not believe in carrying them on his person—but something caused him to decide against it. He had slipped it in among the gear in his own bag, then stowed away the rest of the team equipment in the closet. That same night, he was given the most unusual dream...it was a moonlit night, and he was running. Running from whom, or what, he was not sure. But Tom knew something was chasing him, and he was sprinting like he never had before. Whatever was back there seemed dangerous, until there was a distant battle cry, which stopped Tom Dover dead in his tracks. Standing atop a building was a muscular figure silhouetted against the full moon. He could see something like a helmet and armor on the person, and a large cape furled out from the broad shoulders. In one hand was a sword with a long blade. The figure suddenly hurled himself downwards into the shadows, and there was grunting as he engaged the unseen enemy in combat. Shortly, there was a long, loud scream of pain that quickly died away, then out of the shadows stepped the man, who appeared to be some kind of superhero. He wore a black and gold centurion's helmet and chestplate, except they were more streamlined than what one might see on an ancient Roman soldier. His suit was red and shiny, like spandex, while the large gauntlets on his hands and the heavy boots on his feet were both solid black metal, with some gold trim around the edges. Tom could see that there was a handsome, strong- looking shield slipped over the man's left arm. Falling down from the gold- trimmed shoulder guards was a long black cape lined in gold satin. The most striking feature of the sword in his right hand was that it looked EXACTLY like the dagger found in the equipment closet that afternoon! The hero stood tall and proud, even though he and Tom were identical in height. The only thing that could not be made out was his identity, for his eyes were covered by a dark visor that went all the way across the line of vision.  
  
"Who are you?" asked the blonde college student, incredulous, his deep blue eyes wide. The man in front of him slid the longsword into a scabbard, which rested at his left hip on the belt he wore, then with his free hand he gathered up his flowing cape and swept it in front of the lower half of his face, draped over his fully-extended arm in dramatic fashion.  
  
"My name is Magnum Centurion Maximus, soldier of justice and mighty hero," came the figure's powerful, almost ethereal, voice. "I am the ultimate guardian of righteousness and defender of the innocent."  
  
"Why have you come to me in this dream?" Tom pressed, still finding it wildly unbelievable that this guy showed up in his subconscious thought. At this, the man in spandex and armor apparently became angered by the questions being asked of him, for he violently threw the back the cape over his angular, muscled shoulder and bent his knees in an attack position, one foot in front of the other. With a loud yell, he darted towards Tom in a flat-out run. He had no time to react, for suddenly the hero was on top of him; he covered himself defensively, but instead of having his lights put out, the futuristic centurion passed right into him. Then he fell to the ground, knocked out cold from the impact. Tom Dover had then awakened, sitting bolt upright in bed, shivers running up and down his spine. He usually slept topless at night (with a godly torso like his, he was able to do it with no problem), so his face and upper body were moist with sweat. When he had gone to the bathroom in his dorm suite to rinse his face with some cold water and towel off his chest, abs, and back, he took a look in the mirror and saw the centurion hero reflected in it instead of his own face. He gave a yelp and had stumbled backwards, banging his head on the tiles as he fell into the shower. Tom remembered receiving a concussion and a gash that required 50 stitches.  
  
Flash! The golden-haired young man shook his head, trying to clear his head of the memory of that weird experience. He didn't like to think about it too much. As he was about to take his shirt off in preparation for a shower, someone knocked on his door, so he walked over and opened it up.  
  
"Dover! Dover, you won't believe this!" said Dunston Niedermayer, all out of breath. He was a short, skinny guy with glasses and medium brown hair, and was considered to be a big nerd. "You better come quick! I think Mina's in trouble!"  
  
Tom blinked, his eyes round as baseballs, sensing danger had entered Culverton Hall. "Mina? In TROUBLE?!?!?" He pushed past Dunston, sending him tripping awkwardly to the floor of the hallway. Dover quickly muttered an apology, then dashed down the stairwell to the ground floor, where Mina's room was situated. When he reached the bottom and stepped out into the hall, he saw a gaggle of other students crowded around the entrance to the dorm. Mina was on the floor, wailing piteously, while two female friends of hers put their arms around her and tried to comfort her. Tom hurried over and squeezed through the students who had congregated there.  
  
"Excuse me! Boyfriend coming through! Step aside!" he said as he made his way to Mina.  
  
"Leave her alone. This isn't any of your business," the first-floor Resident Advisor told him.  
  
"That's my girlfriend crying there, so this is my business," was his retort as he knelt down beside the bawling girl. "Mina? Honey, are you all right? Please talk to me." His broad, squareish face was etched with concern. Mina, however, was crying too hard to even respond. Tom's expression slowly changed from upset to angry.  
  
"What happened to her?" he demanded of one of the students standing there, watching.  
  
"It was Jawbreaker and his gang. They forced their way into her room and threatened to kill her unless she consented to sleeping with Backslide. When she screamed, I came running down the hall and fought him and the others off as best I could until I was able to call campus security," the student said seriously. Damnit! thought Tom as he looked helplessly at his girlfriend. If only I'd been there sooner! I could've fought Dan off! But maybe there's a way I can avenge her...Dover leapt to his feet and forced his way out of the crowd again.  
  
"I'm going to find them," he declared to the group. A male student spoke up.  
  
"Don't do it! They might try and kill you, too!"  
  
"They won't kill me," said Tom, his face set in determination. "I'll make sure of it." With that, he burst out the lobby doors and found a dark place where he would not be seen, then he pulled out the fancy knife.  
  
Okay, do your stuff!...whatever that is, Tom thought as he held the dagger in his hand. In seconds, its metal blade lengthened and gained width, while the hand grip became larger to compensate for the sudden growth spurt the sharp end had undergone. The hand guard shone brightly, and a large eagle of golden energy shot out, swooped around behind Tom and enfolded him in its wings. The sensation of the light and energy seeping in through his skin made his whole body feel warm and tingly, as if he were being massaged by the jets of a hot tub. When the light disappeared, everything around him was the same as before, except now there was slight pressure on various parts of his body. He looked down at his hands, then felt his chest, and found both were covered in armor. He even had the shield on his arm! That wasn't just some whacked-out dream he'd had, he realized, because this was the same getup the hero had worn. Hunky college student Tom Dover had become Magnum Centurion Maximus!  
  
Quit admiring yourself, pretty boy, a voice in his head chided him. You've got more important things to take care of right now. Save the preening for when you're in front of a mirror. That snapped Tom's focus back to the matter at hand, which was finding Dan and his gang of punks and making sure they paid for terrorizing Mina. So, he went off in search of the troublemakers, discovering he was able to bound up onto the roofs of the various buildings as a way of getting around the campus faster. For a while, he vaulted noiselessly from atop one hall to another, seeing nothing, until he heard heavy footsteps on the sidewalk; down below, there were five figures, dressed all in black, fleeing towards the wrought-iron fencing surrounding the Pimento University campus. It was obvious the guys were looking to make a break for it and escape over the high fence before security and the police could track them down. It was up to Tom, now transformed, to catch the nasty punks and prevent them from evading punishment. He silently followed them to the edge of the campus, then watched from the roof of one of the academic halls as Backslide and his gang made it to the fence, out of breath.  
  
I'll fix you yet, Tom thought to himself as he glared unrelentingly. I'll make you pay dearly for what you tried to do to my girlfriend. Down on the ground, the five punks had no idea they were being observed as they debated what was the best way for them to climb over this barrier and take off down the street. They could not imagine that someone was lurking in the shadows above them, waiting... 


	3. The Dover Boys, v20Chapter 3

The Dover Boys, v2.0 Chapter 3  
  
"What do we do now, Jawbreaker?" asked a somewhat short guy with a crew cut and piercings all along his ears.  
  
"Shut up, Chainsaw! I'm thinking!" Dan snapped back at his accomplice. It was then that another one of the goons piped up.  
  
"I got it! What if one of us gives the others a boost over the fence?" suggested Flamethrower, a wiry character with a bright red Mohawk that stuck up like bird plumes. Then reality hit him: whoever helped the others over the fence would have no way of getting to the other side himself and would be caught by the cops for certain. "Wait, no. We can't do that. Then one of us gets left behind." Dan glared at Flamethrower.  
  
"Really. What made you figure that out, Einstein?!" he shouted at his none-too-bright fellow biker. "Come on, Backslide! Think!" The gang leader scrunched up his face. Now it was Sledgehammer's turn to speak up.  
  
"Boss, I know what we could do! One of us could go back and steal some ropes from the ROTC room, then we'd climb over that way!" Crowbar, the only gang member with long hair tied back in a ponytail and shades covering his eyes, butted in.  
  
"That'd never work. The Rangers'd find the ropes missing and get really pissed. Besides, do you even know where the ROTC room is, you nimrod?" Sledgehammer, a huge guy with more muscles in his arms than brains in his head, paused to think for a second, then said:  
  
"Uhhhhhhhh...no." Backslide slapped the big lug up side the head.  
  
"You know why else it wouldn't work?" he asked. "'Cause we don't have that kinda time to run back and get ropes! We gotta blow this joint, fast!" Dan started pacing as he again attempted to formulate an escape plan, but a voice from out of nowhere interrupted his thought process.  
  
"You will not be going anywhere," boomed an unearthly tenor from somewhere above them. The five on the ground looked all around to see who was talking to them; suddenly, Sledgehammer was on the grass with a great "OOF!!!" and four heads whipped around to see a figure, partially visible in the light nearby. It was an incredibly strong, muscular man in red spandex and ebony-colored armor trimmed with gold decoration. His face was not recognizable because of the shadows, as well as the dark visor across his eyes.  
  
"Hey, buddy! This ain't Halloween! And what's with you busting up my pal?!" shouted Backslide to the man with a foot up on the chest of the knocked-out Sledgehammer, who had taken a flying side-kick to the neck. The costumed stranger lifted his heavy boot off of the large bully and stepped closer into the light, cape swinging from side to side as he lumbered towards Dan and his followers. Crowbar, Flamethrower, and Chainsaw backed away as their jaws dropped in fear at the massiveness of this guy's body, yet Backslide stood firm. The man paused for a moment, letting their dread sink in, then there was a loud *whoosh!* and a flash of metal as he pulled out his sword. Quicker than lightning, he had the tip of the blade pressed up against the throat of the one known as Jawbreaker. He did not intend to actually pierce Dan's throat, but instead used this as a threat to hopefully inspire some fear in the enemy.  
  
"How DARE you insult me!" he bellowed in his heroic voice. "Give me one good reason why I should not take your head off here and now!"  
  
"Look, man! Just who the hell do you think you are?!" continued Dan, putting up a good front to hide his inner cowardice.  
  
"You ask who I am?" the spandex- and armor-clad young man spat angrily. "I am the one who strikes terror in the hearts of craven bullies such as yourself and swiftly punishes anyone who would harm the innocent. I am..." There was a flourish of trumpets as he proclaimed his name:  
  
"Magnum Centurion Maximus!" Dan stared at the superhero for a moment, then burst out laughing.  
  
"Hey, Geeksimus, that the best you can come up with? I've heard better challenges in those cheesy superhero comic books everyone likes to read!" he sniggered, taking delight in watching Maximus pull his lips back, revealing gritted teeth. He picked up right away on one of the hero's weaknesses—the fact that he was easily offended—and decided to use this to his advantage. "Maybe you should take lessons from the comic book heroes in how to scare an enemy with a new challenge phrase! At least they sound professional!" Backslide's henchmen, who were watching this whole event take place, started to get up courage and once again stepped forward, standing behind their leader. Maximus simply took slow, deliberate glances at the four punks, opting for the "cool-and-collected" approach this time.  
  
"I have an idea of my own," the Magnum Centurion stated unflinchingly. "If you troublemakers wish to see your leader alive for another day, I would suggest that you give yourselves up here and now. It will most certainly go easier with you." To make sure the boys knew it was the real deal, he did not move the point of his longsword from Dan's neck, but instead applied slightly more pressure to it. A light breeze began to blow, rippling his dark cape.  
  
"Forget it, you loser hero wanna-be! Sic 'im, boys!" At Jawbreaker's command, the other three leapt for Maximus. His first reaction was his wide, tapered jaw dropping in surprise, then with one swipe of his shielded forearm he swept the punks backwards as they jumped him. Before he made this motion, the superhero had to remove his blade from Dan's neck; this left him open for another attack. As Backslide lunged, Maximus brought one muscular leg up and gave the gang leader a sharp roundhouse to the head, throwing him off-balance. But, his defensive maneuvers apparently had little effect in deterring the hoodlums because he soon found himself surrounded on all sides. Maximus knew that he could not fight to kill, or else the police would have no leads to go by since there would be dead suspects. So, he sheathed his longsword and strapped his shield onto his back, then lowered himself into a fighting stance.  
  
"If that is the way you want it..." he muttered in a low voice, then raising it on the next sentence, "come and get me!" The boys did not hesitate to jump at the superhero, who fended them off with his sheer strength, as well as a few good martial arts techniques. His hands and feet flew as he blocked the blows the aggressors delivered, then he flung their own attacks back at them. Dan's buddies were soon beaten up enough that they turned chicken once more and started to flee the scene.  
  
"No enemy of justice escapes from Magnum Centurion Maximus!" The hero pulled out a bola and whirled it around over his head before releasing it in the direction of Chainsaw, Flamethrower, and Crowbar. The three were effectively tied up and simultaneously hit the ground on their rear ends. Sledgehammer was still out cold at the moment, so that left Dan to fight for himself. Forcefully swirling his cape behind him, Maximus turned to face his enemy. "There is no one to help you now, foul villain. You cannot run or hide from the truth, for it will always find you in the end." The mighty Magnum Centurion advanced into the electric lamp light again, now seeming to shine with an aura of triumph at his impending victory.  
  
"It is over! Justice has won, and your days of doing evil are finished!" he boomed in his powerful superhero voice. A shadow suddenly crept up from behind and gave him a hard whack in the head, sending Maximus to the ground on his face. Fortunately, his large hands broke the fall, but he shook his head violently to keep from blacking out. Then he felt himself leave the grass completely, lifted up by the bald-headed bully, Sledgehammer. He had wrapped his beefy biceps around the hero's torso, pinning his arms to his sides. Grunting, Maximus strained against the tight grip he was held in, attempting to wriggle free. Suddenly, his eyes snapped wide open behind the visor that protected his real identity: Dan Backslide was barreling straight at him, and Sledgehammer was the "bear- trap" holding the superhero ready to become the gang leader's new personal punching bag. With split-second timing the armored man brought his powerful legs up, just before the slick-haired biker was about to throw him a monster uppercut, and sent a fierce kick to Backslide's mouth. There was a loud crack! as Maximus's bootheels made contact, Dan's teeth knocking together from the impact. He was thrown backwards and hit the ground with a thump, moaning through gritted teeth; his jaw felt like it was superglued shut, he could not open his mouth at all. The superhero then flexed his broad chest to loosen the vice grip of the huge hands around his midsection; this allowed him to slide one arm out and give Sledgehammer a few sucker-punches to the face. After a couple of hits, Sledgehammer released Maximus by involuntarily putting his hands up to cover his nose, which had started bleeding after having the superhero's hard fist bang it up some. The Magnum Centurion quickly moved a short distance away and spun around to face his hulking nemesis, cape flashing behind him. One hand grabbed it and roughly whipped it around himself as he assumed a fighting stance, staring down Sledgehammer.  
  
"What is the matter, you oaf?" he asked mockingly, trying to draw the big guy's ire. "Are you actually afraid of me? Do you fear a man who is smaller, not as strong as you, and is dressed in a costume?"  
  
"I'm not scared of you!" roared Sledgehammer. The taunting apparently worked, because he came at Maximus at ramming speed, but the hero bent his thick legs and leaped up high, backflipping over the bald biker's head. The armored man landed opposite where he had been and motioned for the bulky guy to try it again, practically daring him to strike.  
  
"Is that all you can give me?" Maximus continued, a cocky smirk on his face. "I am sure you can do much better!" The huge guy called Sledgehammer charged for the superhero again, and once more he evaded being hit. However, this was making Maximus more overconfident with each miss by the bully, and for a moment he lost his sense of concentration; Sledgehammer took advantage of the opportunity and, with all his might, gave the hero a powerful smack in the face with just one swing of his muscle-packed arm. The blow sent the Magnum Centurion flying into the wrought-iron fence, his armor clanging hard against it. His helmet took the brunt of the nerve-numbing shock, sending a piercing, hollow ringing sound through his ears. The caped hero staggered off the fence, holding his head as the noise continued, grunting as he grimaced and tried to fight off unconsciousness.  
  
"Had enough, weakling?" Sledgehammer taunted as Maximus stumbled to the ground, one hand to his head. Strong as he was, the ringing was becoming too much for his sensitive ears, and it was sure to knock him out cold soon. Struggling to stave off the blackness that would inevitably come down on him, with blurred vision the armored hero turned to look up at Sledgehammer towering over him. Maximus gritted his teeth tightly as his sight began to darken.  
  
"Believe me...you...have not...won yet," he managed to rasp, his eyelids lowering. "This is...far...from...over..." It was there that his voice trailed off as he sank into unconsciousness, falling forward on his stomach and lying motionless on the cool, damp grass.  
  
"It will be, soon enough," snickered Sledgehammer as he reached down and hefted the hero's limp form over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He then walked over to Dan, who was trying to recover from the trauma dealt to his jaw. The gang leader attempted to sit up but was having trouble doing so; the strongman of the group lent him a broad hand and easily pulled Backslide to his feet. Dan then went over to the three still tied up and, after pulling out a knife, cut them loose. The five punks then looked around, trying to find a place to hide from the police.  
  
"Guys, I got an idea!" Dan blurted. "We'll hide out in the basement of Vernon Hall. You know, the place they call 'The Dungeon'. The police won't think to look there, plus..." Here a devilish grin came to his face as he eyed the knocked-out superhero Sledgehammer was lugging.  
  
"What, boss?" asked Flamethrower, a quizzical expression on his face.  
  
"Pukesimus won't be able to escape us torturing him," Dan replied, rubbing his hands together with glee. "Let's split, before the fuzz gets here!" The bikers made tracks for Vernon Hall's basement just as cop cars were pulling up to the gates at the entrance of the Pimento University campus. 


	4. The Dover Boys, v20Chapter 4

The Dover Boys, v2.0 Chapter 4  
  
"It was awful," Mina was saying to a police officer who had arrived on the scene and was assessing her situation. When the cops had pulled onto the Pimento University campus, practically everyone in Culverton Hall was awakened, as well as those in the other residence buildings. Now there were people either milling about or being questioned by some of the officers. "I don't know how he managed to break into my dorm. But he and his friends had me surrounded before I knew what was going on; I didn't even have a chance to defend myself, because he had me pinned on my mattress by my wrists and suddenly his lips started traveling all over my face. One of his pals had a knife held to my neck while I screamed as loud as I could. They kept threatening to slit my throat if I didn't keep quiet and let him rape me, but apparently someone on my floor heard me because a guy from my ROTC class-he's an M-3 like me-came running into the room and chased them out."  
  
"Are you okay now?" the officer asked in a kindly voice. He was young, apparently new on the local force, and he examined Mina with big, concerned eyes. "I want to make sure you're not hurt in any way."  
  
"I'm fine now, thanks," she answered, sighing. "But it was really scary for me to go through. I think I'll be having nightmares about it for weeks."  
  
"I'm sure it's a very frightening experience," said the officer. "Just know that we're here now, and we'll do everything we can to make sure you're safe and those guys don't attack you again. By the way, how many of them were there?"  
  
"There were five," Mina replied. "It was Dan Backslide and his gang of bikers."  
  
"I don't think I've heard of them," the young police officer said, a little confused.  
  
"Well, I have," came a gruff voice. Standing over him and Mina was an older sergeant with dark hair and a mustache, both graying. He definitely had an air of experience around him, as he was more hardened to such situations than his younger colleague. "Those ruffians have been giving the department headaches since they first came to the university. We've brought them in I forget how many times because they were always causing trouble. I don't think I've known them to do something this, though; usually we just took them to the station for mischievous acts, but never for anything this violent."  
  
"Where do you think they've gone?" the victim asked.  
  
"Probably to their usual hideout, the basement of one of the old residence halls," the sergeant said. Mina gasped.  
  
"You mean.The Dungeon, under Vernon Hall?" she blurted, starting to panic all over again as she remembered her boyfriend, Tom, saying he was going out to track down the gang. "Tom might be down there! He could be hurt, or trapped! My boyfriend, he's in danger if he ended up in that basement! Who knows what Dan and those horrible friends of his could be doing to him!"  
  
"It-it's okay, miss. Please, just calm down," the young cop said, trying to soothe the frightened girl. He took one of her hands in his and put his other arm around her. "I'll stay here with you so you're safe. Meantime, Sergeant Peterson and his men will go to Vernon Hall's basement to get your boyfriend out and catch the scum who tried to hurt you. Everything's going to be okay, I promise." The police sergeant motioned to the other officers around.  
  
"Alright, men! Move out, let's go!" Sergeant Peterson waved the officers out the door of the building, then they ran across the green in the middle of the campus towards Vernon Hall.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
For the longest time, there was nothing but total darkness. Then, there was the sound of water dripping from somewhere in the blackness. It was a steady, constant drip, the kind of noise that would drive a sane person mad. Slowly, Tom Dover-still disguised as the Magnum Centurion-was coming into consciousness again, his eyes first beginning to shift under their lids. Then, they lightly fluttered open as he was becoming aware of his surroundings; behind the tinted visor hiding his eyes, Maximus could make out a dim, dank place. It appeared as if he were in a dungeon or something: the walls were made of hard stone, as was the floor beneath his large body. The superhero felt the chill seep through his spandex bodysuit, and he shivered slightly as it did a horridly slow dance up and down his spine. Fortunately, the ringing in his ears had ceased and all that was left was a dull throbbing in his head, but he would deal with it when he de-transformed and made it back to his dorm. As he was mulling this thought, he suddenly felt himself forcefully jerked to his feet and slammed against the nearby wall. Shaking his head roughly as the pounding worsened, he came face-to-face with his archenemy, Dan Backslide.  
  
"Sleep well, Dorksimus?" the gang leader sneered at the captured hero, who was still somewhat disoriented. "I hope so, because you'll want to be awake for what's coming next."  
  
"What might-unhand me! Unhand me, I say!" Maximus barked at Flamethrower and Chainsaw, who had grabbed his wrists in an attempt to hold him against the wall. He shook them off and stared down Backslide with armored chest thrust out and head held high, making known that he would not be overcome so easily. "What might be coming next, you dirty coward? Nothing that you do can ever crush the spirit and power of the heroic Maximus, noble champion of righteousness!" That aura, which seemed to shine around the superhero earlier when he had Dan down for the count, was practically visible again as he proclaimed he would stand firm even in the face of danger. Instead, Backslide and his followers continued to leer at the Magnum Centurion.  
  
"Oh, but you will do as we tell you, if you want to live," Dan snickered as his eyes narrowed with malice. "If you don't cooperate with me and my boys, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to off you. You, uh, catch my drift?" With a grin of pure evil, he lifted the eagle-hilted longsword and pointed the blade at the hero's throat. The slight gasp from Maximus as he pressed himself flatter against the wall and one broad hand flying to his chest in shock was all Backslide needed to know that he had the Magnum Centurion in the palm of his hand.  
  
"You contemptible villain! How did you get your sinful hands on my sword?" asked the cornered superhero, a more noticeable tremor creeping into his strong tenor speaking voice. Maximus' free hand gripped the edge of the flowing cape he wore, and he swallowed hard as he felt the cold steel of his own weapon, the point digging slightly into his neck.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah. My little secret," said Backslide in a sing-song voice while he continued to look straight at the centurion. "Now, since you wanted to know what we got in store for ya, here's a little preview." Sledgehammer fisted the cape and hurled Maximus down the narrow corridor; he stumbled into a room lit only by a single, flickering bulb hanging from a ceiling fixture. "Get in there, Whacksimus! Tie him down, boys!"  
  
"Never! You will not torture me, I will not allow it!" cried the Magnum Centurion as he charged for Dan's four sidekicks so he could pummel them before they did anything to him. Instead, Sledgehammer, Crowbar, Flamethrower, and Chainsaw threw themselves at Maximus, then dragged him struggling to the center of the room.  
  
"Uh-uh. I got a better idea," Jawbreaker parried as his buddies made tracks out of the room, quickly shutting and barring the doors just after Flamethrower got his booted foot past them to the other side. There came a barely audible hiss as Dan started to turn a valve on the opposite side of the doors, and a strong scent soon permeated the room. "Why not fight fire." A hand holding an object appeared from outside, and the superhero's eyes widened behind his dark visor as he realized what was about to happen to him.  
  
".With fire?" The hand tossed in a lighter with a flame, and soon a ball of fire shot through the air, exploding towards Maximus. The Magnum Centurion, attempting to protect himself, dropped into a crouch and covered his body with his cape with one great sweep of his muscular arm. Dan and his lackeys had to brace themselves against the initial impact when the gas first flamed up, then they all crowded around to watch while the fire consumed the room. "Haha! So long, you corny superhero wanna-be! You're dead, gone! Gone, FOREVER!" Backslide got such a thrill from seeing his nemesis disintegrate into nothingness he was laughing like a madman. Yet, all of a sudden the plank across the handles of the double doors splintered, then shattered, and finally they burst open, flying off their hinges. All five gangsters stared at a sight that nearly caused each one of them to have a coronary: there was a ring of fire around most of the room, and in the middle the flames had shot up into the shape of a humongous eagle with spread wings. Standing directly under it, surrounded in a burning aura, was Maximus, now stronger than ever. A voice, full of timbre and ethereal-sounding, echoed throughout the room, but neither Dan nor any of his pals could understand the words, for they were in Latin.  
  
"Aquila de Ignis, te impero! Surgo." The flames around the Magnum Centurion began to burn more intensely.  
  
"Uh-oh," muttered Flamethrower, his eyes so wide they were nearly popping out of his Mohawked head.  
  
"Surrexi." The Magnum Centurion's cape was now billowing majestically as the flaming eagle rose higher above him, poised to strike.  
  
"I think we made him mad," Sledgehammer said nervously. For a guy as brawny and tough as that, he was ready to turn tail and run because he realized all five of them were about to get torched, and they didn't have superpowers to help them survive.  
  
"No shit, Sherlock!" Chainsaw yelled back at the big lug. "What do you think?!"  
  
"Let's get outta here!" yelped Crowbar as he sprinted down the hall and headed for the stairwell going up to the outside world. The others started to follow, but they only got partway to their destination because Maximus uttered the final word of the attack.  
  
"SURRECTUM!!!!!!" The superhero threw his hands out in front of him and, with a terrifying screech, the fiery bird surged forward at lightning speed, barreling towards Dan and his fellow bikers. They turned to look back over their shoulders and screamed, then finally got their pistons pumping again as they tore up the stairs, around the corner, and burst out the main entrance. The inferno exploded onto the upper floors and quickly spread throughout the old building; meantime, Maximus flung his cape around himself and ran as fast and as hard as he could through the blaze, leaping over the dancing flames in his path. Dan had dropped the longsword as he fled the basement, and the superhero managed to grab it up while he swiftly ascended the stairs to the main floor. Finally, he found a spot where the fire had burst up and out to the roof, so he bent his muscular legs and shot upwards with all the coiled energy he could muster in them. The Magnum Centurion soon blasted out the top of the abandoned building and began a dive downwards, his arms swept back as he rocketed towards the ground. When he was only yards from the grass below, he brought his bulging arms forward and spread his cape like wings to slow his descent. Maximus landed in a crouch with cape wrapped around his hulking body, then he rose to his feet and pulled the sword out of its scabbard, pointing it towards the sky as he struck a triumphant, heroic pose, the cloth flying back over his wide shoulders. From his mouth burst forth one golden note, a powerful operatic tenor that was the same battle cry of the hero in the dream, whose identity was now part of Tom Dover. "Now you have tasted the power of Magnum Centurion Maximus, and your punishment will be swift! You wicked dastards attempted to violate an innocent girl, thus you shall pay for this heinous deed!" Keeping his sword held high, the steel blade began to shine with a brilliant gold light as he called upon his ultimate power: the Centurion's Justice Eagle, a huge bird of light that would cause anything it attacked to evaporate into thin air. Though earlier he knew he should not kill Dan Backslide and his gang, Tom was allowing the might of Magnum Centurion Maximus to overtake his mind and body, and for some reason he was not able to stop himself from saying the words that would summon the eagle.  
  
"Aquila Centurius de Iustitia, te impero! Subruo."  
  
"Oh, man!" cried Flamethrower, his eyes bugging wide again.  
  
"Here we go again!" screamed Dan.  
  
"Subruti." The eagle spread its wings and soared up out of the blade to hover over Maximus, waiting for his final command.  
  
"WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!!" shrieked Chainsaw as he and his friends quaked in fear, knowing that this was the end for them. Or so they thought, when they heard another voice, which sounded like it was quickly coming towards them.  
  
"Police! Stay where you are!" 


	5. The Dover Boys, v20Chapter 5

soThe Dover Boys, v2.0 Chapter 5  
  
Maximus whipped his helmeted head around at the approaching voice, and soon police officers came dashing across the campus green to where he stood with Dan and his four goons cowering in fear before him. The eagle swooped down and disappeared back into the sword as it ceased glowing, then the hero slid it into its scabbard and stepped back while the officers surrounded the biker gang with guns drawn. As the troublemakers were arrested (there was no need to subdue them), the sergeant caught sight of the burning hall and turned to the strapping guy in spandex and armor standing there.  
  
"What're you looking at?" he asked in his rough, gravelly voice.  
  
"Ha! You dare to speak in such a tone to the valiant Magnum Centurion Maximus?" said the superhero haughtily, offended by the middle- aged police sergeant's rudeness.  
  
"Look, pal, don't be ordering me around! You better learn some respect for authority!" growled Sergeant Peterson as he stepped towards Maximus, hiking up his gunbelt around his portly waist. "And what's with the Halloween costume?! Look at you! Are you some kinda nutcase?!"  
  
"Just WHAT do you take me for?!" roared the sleek-armored centurion, stepping up until he was practically chest-to-midsection with the sergeant. "Do you realize that with one command I can destroy you?!" To enhance his intimidating appearance, Maximus took his cape and swung his burly arms out and up, lifting the cloth with its beautiful satin lining exposed above his head as he made the claim that he could nuke the police officer into non- existence.  
  
"You're the one who caused that fire then, huh?!" Sergeant Peterson angrily said, pointing his finger against the superhero's solid abdomen, at which the proud young man in the spandex suit and armor brought his arms inward and folded them over his puffed-out chest, enveloping his broad frame in the black cape. "You probably used your so-called 'superpowers' to flush those scumbags outta the basement and left the rest of the building to burn, is that right?!" The police officer was so furious his large mustache twitched and he glared with cold, dark brown eyes from under his bushy eyebrows.  
  
"So, you blame me for starting the blaze, do you?! Just because I have awesome abilities that you could never dream of possessing?!" Maximus shot back, violently whipping his long, full cape behind him as he strode forward, advancing on Sergeant Peterson.  
  
"We've taken these punks in before, but they ain't arsonists!" the graying law enforcement officer spat, trying to defend his case in hopes of pinning responsibility for the fire on the weirdo standing before him who thought he was a superhero, so the sergeant believed. On the other side of his tinted visor, the Magnum Centurion's baby-blue eyes widened in rage; one heavy-gauntleted hand flew to the hilt of his longsword, prepared to whip it out when he needed it.  
  
"Enough of your foolishness! I should delight in ending your pathetic life here and now!" the hero said, fed up with arguing. He was about to draw the sword when two police officers hurried up and grabbed his arms, dragging him back forcibly, away from Sergeant Peterson. By flexing his massive biceps a few times, he was able to get them off of him. However, instead of moving to attack again, Maximus grabbed his cape and gave it a mighty whirl, wrapping half of it around his body full of large, rippling muscles. "Mark my words, one day you will see my might and capacity for doing good with your unbelieving eyes. Then perhaps you will think twice before turning me into a scapegoat." With that, he spun on his heel and bent his legs, then leaped up and out of sight onto the roof of the nearby building. Sergeant Peterson harrumphed as he turned back to his officers, who now had the gang leader and his followers all in handcuffs.  
  
"Get those slimebuckets outta here," he ordered them. "And get the fire department here. I don't want these flames jumping to any of the other buildings." The police sergeant turned his gaze to the roof of the hall behind him, squinting his eyes as he thought about how he was going to get this guy in trouble, one way or another. Meanwhile, Maximus jumped down from the roof, landing behind the building; with a light shimmer of gold, the costume vanished and the longsword shrank down to dagger size once more. Tom Dover was left in his place.  
  
What was all that I just did? the college athlete and honors student wondered as he walked through the shadows back to Culverton Hall. I mean, first having the ability to leap to the top of tall buildings in a single bound, then channel fire into an attack, and the sword, well...I never knew this thing could be so powerful. Tom stopped to open one of the pockets on the leg of his cargo pants and slipped the knife inside, then continued on. He broke into a trot, which turned into a full run as he got nearer to the residence building. Finally, Dover burst inside and headed for Mina's room, where he found her sitting on the edge of her bed with a young police officer comforting her. Tom's girlfriend looked up and saw him standing in the doorway and jumped to her feet, running to his waiting arms.  
  
"Mina! Thank God you're okay," said Tom, relieved to see that she was doing fine. "I was so worried about you."  
  
"Where are Dan and his friends?" Mina asked, bringing her hazel eyes up to meet her boyfriend's sky-blue gaze. Then she noticed the bruise on his right cheekbone, a large purplish mark, and gasped. "Oh, my God! Tom, what happened to you? Are you badly hurt? I hope you didn't get roughed up too much when you went to find Backslide and his posse of bikers."  
  
"What—oh...that," the blonde said, his heart starting to race with fear. What if Mina discovered how he REALLY got the bruise? How could he break it to her? "I, uh...yeah, it was just one big free-for-all fistfight." As he tried to fabricate some ideas in his mind as to how he might keep his secret from her, the other two Dover brothers, Dick (a thin guy of average height who, like his ancestor, is the serious one of the group, but has an updated fashion sense; he likes to wear a lot of designer business suits and thinks he looks especially smooth in his leather jackets) and Larry (the youngest Dover Boy, still short and pudgy, yet his look is upgraded as well; the third sibling prefers stylish athletic wear in the Pimento University colors and custom-printed to his liking) poked their heads into the room. Despite their completely different tastes in clothing and interests, as well as their equally distinct personalities, the Dover Boys were all good-natured and not a selfish bone could be found in their bodies.  
  
"Hey, Tom! I heard there was a big brawl before the cops came and arrested Jawbreaker and the others," Larry said, his eyes large with excitement. "Lita found out from one of the cops that some tall, muscular guy was being held hostage down in The Dungeon with them, and Dan's pals were beating up whoever it was. Then, the building was set on fire!"  
  
"Yeah," added Dick. "I noticed some time later the guy had Dan and his group cowering in fear on the green in front of Vernon Hall. He was dressed in a costume of some sort—I think it was spandex and armor—and he had a gigantic sword in his hand. Then I saw this glowing bird emerge from the blade; I was thinking to myself, 'This can't be right. I must be dreaming.' It's probably all that it was, just a dream."  
  
"Uhhh...sure," Tom said nervously, beginning to sweat a little. "Um, just a-a dream." Dick, the perceptive one of the trio, noticed his older sibling getting a touch uneasy with their talk of the strange person he and Larry had seen.  
  
"Something wrong, Tom?" he asked. Though he loved his brother, Dick Dover surmised that there was one important element of this whole situation that Tom was keeping to himself. "You look slightly upset by what Larry and I witnessed. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this incident, would you?"  
  
"NO!...I-I mean, well, I...happened to follow Dan and see where he was going. I planned to get revenge for Mina...because he was about to rape her, or else sh-she'd be killed," the handsome blonde Dover Boy stammered, feeling a trickle of sweat trail its way down his spine. As if on cue, Dora and Lita (Larry and Dick's girlfriends, respectively) walked in.  
  
"Mina! Oh, I'm so glad you're doing all right!" Lita gasped, stepping towards her friend, who had Tom's arms around her. "I heard everything that happened. Do you need anything? I could go get a bottle of spring water from the vending machine if you want."  
  
"No, no. Thanks anyway, Lita," replied Mina, smiling. "I'll be fine."  
  
"It's rumored that this guy who cornered Dan Backslide and his gang, he's some kind of superhero," Dora spoke up, her eyes getting glittery as her heart fluttered. "A superhero...that's so dreamy. Did you see him, Tom?"  
  
"H-he, erm, came to...help me! Yeah, he suddenly jumped in and took on all the punks at one time," he said, growing a little more confident as he made up a story to serve as a cover. "The guy, he had the armor and the sword like Dick said, and that cape of his—massive! Anyway, when he had those scumbags ready for the cops to book, he turned and looked at me, then said, 'Son, you did a fine job defending your girl. Next time, however, leave the fighting to a professional.' And then, he was gone. Just like that." Lita was hanging on every word of Tom's tall tale, stars shining in her eyes as well. Tom was somewhat disappointed that he could not imitate his superhero persona's voice; it came out sounding more like the Dudley Do- Right cartoon character.  
  
"Ooooooooh! He sounds like a major hunk!" she squealed. "Do you think you could ever get me to meet this super-luscious superhero in person?"  
  
"We-ell, I—" Now the eldest Dover had hit another sticky spot: if he got into the character of Maximus just so Lita could say she met her new idol, he would run the risk of potentially cheating on his own girlfriend! He couldn't do that to her, he loved Mina too much to break her heart. Dick, fortunately, intervened at just the right moment.  
  
"Um, Lita?" he said, clearing his throat and tapping one foot, inside a highly-polished dress shoe, on the carpeting of the dorm room floor. "Did you forget, once again, that you already have a boyfriend?" Lita blushed bright red all the way to the roots of her curly, flame-colored hair.  
  
"I-I'm sorry, baby," she said in a repentant voice, gazing at Dick with her patented "sad puppy" eyes. "I mean, I can't help it. What girl wouldn't want to meet such a babe-a-licious man, especially one who has superpowers and wears a slick costume to boot?"  
  
"What? I'm not good enough for you?" asked Dick, his voice a mix of hurt and sarcasm. "Just because I'm not buffed up like Tom here, you think you can just go throwing yourself on every muscle-bound guy you lay eyes on?" He folded his arms over his flat chest, staring pointedly at Lita.  
  
"Oh, no! I'm not like that," she protested. "I'm not like some of the girls here who dress in those skimpy clothes and go around shaking their butts at every guy who walks past them." Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow skeptically as he studied her baby tee and super low-rise jeans.  
  
"Look who's talking," quipped Dick.  
  
"Ooh! You know I only wear these to impress you," Lita whined.  
  
"And every other male on campus," the middle man of the Dover brothers finished.  
  
"Hey, you could get some muscles, too," his girlfriend said, putting her hands on her hips. "I got you that Crossbow all-in-one strength trainer for your birthday two months ago. And for Christmas..."  
  
"Yeah? Go on," Dick answered, starting to relax, enjoying how he was able to play games with her head. He did this often as a subtle joke just to see Lita get mad.  
  
"I'm going to give you something extra-special," she said. "It's the gift you've always wanted."  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"With all my heart. Forgive me, Dick?" A small smile crept onto his face.  
  
"Say 'please.'"  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Pretty please?" This was getting better and better, he thought to himself as one corner of his mouth drew up in an amused smirk.  
  
"Pretty please?"  
  
"Pretty please with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, rainbow sprinkles, and a cherry on top?"  
  
"Pretty please with whip—okay, watch it, mister," parried Lita as she narrowed her eyes, catching on to Dick's little game. "One more time and I'm gonna smack you." 


End file.
